Manifolding machine



y 30, 1940- w. G. BORCHERS 209,898

MANIFOLDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 28, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 167%: florckem; B

ATTOR Patented July 30, 1940 MANIFOLDKNG MACHINE William G. Bore hers," Hoboken, N. I, assignor to Autographic Register Company, Hobken,"NL J.,

UNITE-ostares PATENT OFFICE a corporation of New Jersey Application. October 2 8, 1937, Serial No. 171,406

7 Claims.

. The invention relates to manifolding'machines and more particularly to a means for protecting worksheet strips having cut-out portions therein while moving to writing position.

In using the type of -n1anif0lding material wherein the worksheets have cut-out portions in the present manifolding machines, difficulty has been encountered in feedingv thestrips to writing 7 position due to the contacting of parts of the 1d machinewith the edges of .thencut-out portions of the worksheets which causes them .to buckle and jam and obstruct thefree passage of the strips through the machine. This requires that i I the manifolding machine beopene'd andthe paper straightened out so that it will feed freely through the machine.

The device of'the present invention avoids these difiiculties by providing a means which is secured to the guide rods. and which covers the cut-out portion. of theworksheets and extends over the end of the platen to protect the worksheet strips in their passage thereto. so that they can be freely moved into the writing position without contact with any. part of the machine upon which they can be jammed, as for example, the anchoring means for the transfer sheets which extend over the platen in writing position and which are interleaved with the worksheets when they are moved into writing-position.

The means, according to the present invention, for protecting the cut-out portions of the worksheet comprises flexible strips carried on the guide rods upon which the guide rollers for the several worksheet strips are rotatably mounted The flexible strips are of a width suflicient to cover the cut-out portion and are adapted to be interleaved with the worksheets so as to protect the cut-out portions in their passage to writing position from contact with any part of the machine. By making the protecting strips relatively narrow, the usual tension means for the strip can be applied to engage the strip. at a point spaced from the protecting strips to apply the required tension to the worksheet strips.

One of the features ofthe present invention resides in the provision of a breaker plate which engages the worksheets as they move from the pack so as to spread the nestedzigzag folded sheets. In this manner the feeding of adjacent 50 forms through face-to-face contact with one another, which will draw one of the sheets away from its guiding roller, is eifectivelyprevented.

Other features andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification taken 55" in connection with the drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a plan view of the manifolding machinepartly in section. I S Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the machine taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 315a detailed sectional view of the guiding part of the machine showing the guiding and protecting elements in. place.

, 'Fig. 4wis a perspective view of the machine showing the arrangement of the guide rollers and the protecting means. I

Fig.l5 is a modified form of anchoring means for .theflexible strips.

The manifolding machine of the present invention comprises the usual casing l0 which is divided into a supply compartment H adapted to hold the package ofzigzag folded work-sheets and a storage compartment I2 adapted to receive and store the record sheets. Interposed between the two compartments is the usual feeding mech-' anism l3, positioned adjacent the forward end of acplaten 14 which extends over the supply compartment ll. The feed mechanism is of the usual designand feeds the strips through the machine as desired; The storage compartment is-closed by'a cover I 5 pivoted to the front of the casing and the supply compartment is closed by a cover l6 pivoted to the rear wall of the casing and is provided with an opening I! positioned over the platen toform the writing opening whereby the workstrips positioned on the platen may be used in the usual manner.

The platen has-a plurality of transfer sheets l8; each provided with an anchoring'bar H), which are secured to a pair of anchoring hooks mounted on theplaten. The anchoring bars for the transfer sheets are positioned-to extend transversely ofthe machine at the introductory endof the platen and are interleaved with the worksheets 2 las they lie upon the platen to form the manifolding pack'. A plurality of guides, one

for each-worksheet strip, are securedto the back end of theplaten- Each guide comprises a guide rod 23. extending across the back of the machine and supported in a pair of brackets .24 secured to the platen. A roller 25, formed of rubber or the like having a metal bushing a, is positioned on the guide rod so as to be freely rotatable thereon and is adapted to guide and assist the paper in feeding towardlthe platen. This can be very clearly seenin Fig. 3. i

In using manifolding material of the type wherein .openingsare formed in the worksheets, diflicultyhas been encountered in properly feeding the workstripsinto writing position due. to

the fact that the edgesof the cut-out portions 5 catch on projecting parts of the machine and cause the paper to jam therein.

In the herein disclosed form of manifolding material, the worksheet is provided with notches cut in the marginal edges thereof at form-length intervals. It is readily understood, however, that these cut-out portions can be positioned throughout the sheet as desired. In order to prevent the cut-out portions from being jammed in the margin, protecting means are provided for covering these openings.

According to the present invention, each of the protective means comprises a plurality of strips 26 of flexible material looped about the guide rods and secured thereto with the free ends end of the platen. These strips are sufiicient in width to cover the openings in the worksheets.- They extend from the guide rods onto the platen as is clearly seen in Fig. 3, and will protect the strip from catching on the anchoring bars so that the worksheet has a smooth passage into writing position. These flexible strips may be of any material, either metal or fabric,.but in the preferred form of the invention they are made of a smooth material having a surface similar to that of tracing cloth. The flexible strips are, according to one form of the invention, secured to the guide rod by means of astaple 21 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. p

In order to properly tension the material moving into writing position, a tension element 28 of resilient material is mounted: on the cover and is adapted to engage the worksheet at a point spaced from the protecting means to apply the required tension to the strips in order to hold them securely in writing position. 7

In order to prevent one sheet from feeding an adjacent sheet and causing the, same to be moved away from the guide roller over which it should pass due to the compacting together of the sheets in nested relation when assembled in the zigzag pack, a breaker strip or plate 29 is mounted on the back end of the casing to ex-, tend below the guide rollers and horizontally thereof into the supply compartment so as to partially cover the folded pack and to engage the paper in its movement to, the guide rollers. This breaker strip comprises an L-shaped metallic member having a smooth rounded end adapted to engage the Worksheets. The other end is pivoted on the same hinge as is used by the cover l6 so that it can be moved out of its position over the pack in the storage compartment when it is desired to replenish the pack.

In another form of the invention, shown in Fig. 5, a flexible strip 33 is secured to a guide rod 34 having a guide roller 35. The guide roller, as previously described, is formed ofrubber and has a metal bushing 35a therein and is freely rotatable thereon by means of a spring clamp 36 which extends around the guide rod and holds the flexible strip in position by clamping it to the guide rod.

In order to adapt the invention so that it can be used with sheets having cut-out portions other than those formed in the longitudinal margins thereof, it is merely necessary to secure the protecting strips on the guide rod so that they will extend over the area of the worksheet including the openings and space the guide rollers to support the strip intermediate the protecting means.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim: 1. In a manifolding machine having a platen over which a pile of worksheets having cut-out portions in the marginal edges thereof is fed from a supply compartment; guide rods in the path of the worksheets between the supply compartment and the platen and over which said worksheets pass; and fabric strips secured adjacent the ends of the guide rods so'as to cover the marginal edges of the worksheets and extending upwardly to a point above the platen, said fabric strips being adapted to be interposed between the pile of worksheets to protect the cut-out edges of the worksheet from contact with the frame of the machine as they pass into the platen.

2. In a, manifolding machine having a platen over which a pile of worksheets having cut-out portions therein is fed from a supply compartment; means for guiding the worksheets from the supply compartment to the platen including guide rollers rotatably mounted on guide rods intermediate the ends thereof; means extending over the cut-out portions of the worksheets to guide the sheets to said platen, said means comprising a fabric strip secured to the guide rods and extending over the edge of the platen whereby the cut-out portion is protected from contact with the frame of the machine; and means for securing the fabric strip to the guide rod.

3. In a manifolding machine having a platen over which a pile of worksheets having cut-out portions in the marginal edges thereof is fed from a supply compartment; a plurality of transfer sheets disposed above the platen and adapted to be interleaved with the worksheets; means extending transversely of the platen at the worksheet-receiving end for anchoring the transfer sheets; means for guiding the worksheets from the supply compartment; and means, disposed longitudinally of the platen, secured to the guiding means so as to cover the cut-out portions of the worksheets and extending upwardly to a point above the platen'beyond the securing means for the transfer sheets, said means being adapted to be interposed between the pile of worksheets to protect the edges of the cut-out portion from contact with the parts of the machine.

4. In a manifolding machine having a platen over which a pile of worksheets having a portion of their marginal edges cut out is fed from a supply compartment; means .including guide rollers rotatably mounted on guide rods for guiding the worksheets from the supply compartment to said platen; means including flexible strips mounted on the guide rods adjacent the ends of the rollers and extending over the edges of the worksheets to guide the sheets to said platen; and means positioned intermediate the marginal edges of the worksheets for applying tension to the worksheets.

5. In a manifolding machine having a platen over which a pile of worksheets having cut-out portions therein is fed from a supply compartment; a plurality of transfer sheets disposed above the platen and adapted to be interleaved with the worksheets; means extending transversely of the platen at the worksheet-receiving end for anchoring the transfer sheets; guide rods having rollers rotatable thereon mounted in the path of the worksheets between the supply compartment and the platen and over which said worksheets pass; flexible strips secured to the guide rods so as to cover the edges of the worksheets and extending upwardly to a point above the platen beyond the anchoring means for the transfer sheets, said flexible strips being adapted to be interposed between the pile of worksheets to protect the edges of the cut-out portions from contact with parts of the machine; and tension means adapted to engage the worksheets between the marginal edges thereof and spaced from the flexible strips.

6. In a manifolding machine having a supply compartment for the reception of a manifolding pack consisting of zigzag folded forms; a platen over which a pile of worksheets is fed from said supply compartment; a plurality of guides, one for each worksheet, positioned in the path of the worksheets between the supply compartment and the platen and over which said worksheets pass; and pivotally mounted means in the supply compartment adapted to partially extend over the pack to engage the sheets in their movement to the guiding means to cause the worksheets to be separated from their nested relation. 7. In a manifolding machine having a supply compartment for the reception of a manifolding pack consisting of zigzag folded forms; a platen over which a pile of worksheets is fed from said supply compartment; a plurality of guides, one for each worksheet, positioned in the path of the worksheets between the supply compartment and the platen and over which said worksheets pass; and a breaker plate in the supply compartment adapted to partially extend over the pack and having a smooth edge to engage the sheets in their movement to the guiding means to cause the worksheets to be separated from their nested relation.

WILLIAM G. BORCI-IERS. 

